Deepfakes, consent and the liveness check: how real people stay safe in AI video

“Can I upload my friend's photo?” is the most common question we get, and the answer is no — on purpose. This article explains the rules behind real faces in Actoria, why they exist, and what they mean for you as a creator.

The one rule

A real face enters Actoria only through its owner. Not through a photo upload, not through a link to a profile, not through a screenshot. You verify yourself with a live camera check; anyone else verifies themselves the same way, via an invite link you send. There is no mode, plan or workaround that changes this.

Why a liveness check and not a photo

A photo proves that a face exists, not that its owner is the one pressing the button. A liveness check is a short live session with the camera — it confirms a real person is present and that the face matches. It is the same category of technology banks use for remote onboarding. It adds about a minute; it removes the entire class of “someone used my picture” problems.

Consent that expires and can be revoked

When a friend accepts your invite, their consent has terms they chose: time-limited (thirty days, revocable at any moment) or single use. The actor card in your library shows the status — valid until a date, expired, revoked — and an expired or revoked actor simply cannot be used until the person renews. Consent here isn't a checkbox at signup; it's a living permission attached to the face.

What you still can't make

Verification is not a licence. Automated moderation and manual review screen uploads and generations; content involving minors — or anyone made to look like one — ends the account permanently and is reported. Non-consensual, defamatory or deceptive content is prohibited regardless of whose face is in it. The full list is in the Terms; the short version is that verification answers “whose face is this”, not “is this okay to make”.

Provenance

Generated stills carry Content Credentials (C2PA) so their origin can be read by anyone with a checker, and we are working on the same for video files. Provenance doesn't replace consent — it adds a second, machine-readable layer for the day the clip has left your hands.

What this means for creators

• Plan consent like you plan a shoot: send invites early, watch expiry dates
• Your own face is always available to you — verify once, use everywhere
• Synthetic actors (constructor, prompt) carry none of these constraints — use them for extras and fictional leads
• If a friend changes their mind, you can't generate new videos with them; what happens to existing results is governed by the Terms and their rights

For the practical side — inviting people and composing group shots — see AI videos with real people and the friends guide.